One of the top military minds behind the Houthi insurgency was taken out in an Israeli airstrike, and with him, several key leaders of the Iran-backed movement.
Mohammed al-Ghamari, the Houthis’ military chief of staff since 2016, was killed along with the group’s prime minister and other senior officials in a late August 2025 strike on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, the Daily Caller reported.
Israel confirmed this week that the targeted strike had successfully eliminated one of the masterminds behind Houthi missile operations—a man long accused of facilitating Iranian and Hezbollah support to destabilize the region.
Key Houthi Leaders Removed by Precision Strike
The Israeli Defense Forces revealed that the airstrike on August 28 also took the life of al-Ghamari’s 13-year-old son, Hussein. While tragic, the strike focused on military leadership deeply intertwined with Iran’s regional aggression campaign.
Al-Ghamari wasn’t just a battlefield tactician—he was a symbol of the Houthis’ growing dependence on Tehran. He had trained with Hezbollah in Beirut as far back as 2012 and received combat instruction from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
By clearing al-Ghamari from the chessboard, Israel removed a key architect of Houthi missile technology and weapons production—a man the U.S. Treasury sanctioned for directing attacks on Saudi soil and overseeing warfare tools used in Yemen’s brutal civil conflict.
Israeli Leaders Emphasize Zero Tolerance for Terror
This week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed al-Ghamari’s death, making clear that the strike had hit its intended target. Katz did not mince words in a social media post, proclaiming the fallen commander to be among the "thwarted comrades of the Axis of Evil in the depths of hell."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed a similar tone, stating, “Another chief of staff in the line of terror chiefs who aimed to harm us was eliminated.” He didn’t stop there. “We will reach all of them,” he added, underscoring a broader campaign aimed at dismantling the web of Iranian-backed militancy.
The language may be blunt, but the reality is hard to ignore. Al-Ghamari was a central figure in cross-border violence that has threatened not only Israel but also commercial shipping, regional stability, and countless civilian lives.
Houthis Blame U.S. and Israel, Swear Retaliation
In a public rebuke, the Houthis described the strikes as “American and Israeli aggression” and acknowledged that a “large number of great martyrs” had been lost, both civilian and military. While the phrase strikes a dramatic tone, it conveniently sidesteps accountability for decades of lawless paramilitary activity.
Rather than pivot toward peace, the Houthis responded with vows of vengeance. They warned Israel will “receive its deterrent punishment”—a familiar refrain from groups whose main export tends to be threats rather than diplomacy.
The Houthis have spent the past decade consolidating power in northwestern Yemen, a campaign that triggered one of the region’s most protracted civil wars. Since the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, the Houthis expanded their targets to include Israeli and Western shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Post-Ceasefire Calm Undermines Houthi Threat
Notably, Israel reported no new Houthi attacks since a recent ceasefire went into effect in Gaza. The timing of this airstrike on al-Ghamari may suggest an effort to capitalize on a moment of reduced friction to deliver a strategic hit rather than an emotional response.
Taking out a figure like al-Ghamari isn’t just tactical—it’s psychological. His death sends a message to Tehran, Hezbollah, and all players underwriting these proxy militias: no operative is too high-ranking or too well-guarded to be held accountable.
For a decade, Western media and global institutions have fretted over whether targeted strikes escalate violence. But when a man responsible for launching missiles at Saudi civilians gets removed from the picture, it’s a step toward deterrence, not escalation.
